2000
#103,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 160
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Karolak
A Polish surname derived from the male given name "Karol", meaning "free man".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 205 Americans carry the last name Karolak. That puts it at #106,101 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,671,972 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Karolak surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
205
1 in 1,671,972
Census rank
#106,101
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
179
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 179 bearers of the surname Karolak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 106101st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Karolak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.9%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Karolak
The surname Karolak originated in Poland in the late 17th century. It is derived from the Polish word "karol," which means "carol" or "song." The name likely referred to someone who was a caroler or singer.
Karolak is a locational surname, meaning it was originally given to someone who lived in a particular place. In this case, the name may have referred to someone from a town or village named Karola or Karolowa.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Karolak comes from the parish records of the village of Lipnica Murowana in southern Poland, where a Jan Karolak was listed as a resident in 1698.
In the 19th century, the name Karolak appeared in various Polish census records and land registries. For example, a Franciszek Karolak was recorded as a landowner in the village of Przyszowice in 1827.
Notable individuals with the surname Karolak throughout history include:
1. Józef Karolak (1825-1899), a Polish novelist and playwright known for his works exploring rural life in Galicia.
2. Alicja Karolak (1881-1957), a Polish artist and painter who was part of the Young Poland movement in the early 20th century.
3. Tadeusz Karolak (1901-1977), a Polish football player who represented Poland in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.
4. Jerzy Karolak (1923-2005), a Polish resistance fighter during World War II and later a historian who wrote about the Warsaw Uprising.
5. Ewa Karolak (born 1976), a contemporary Polish writer and journalist known for her novels and short stories.
The name Karolak has its roots in the rich cultural history of Poland, with connections to music, literature, art, and even sports. While its origins can be traced back to the 17th century, the name has endured and continues to be carried on by Polish families today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karolak
Among Census respondents with the surname Karolak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.9%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Karolak bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Karolak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 165
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.9% · 7
- Two or more races1.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 2
- Black or African American0.6% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Karolak
Karolak appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#103,655
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 173
+13 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 51 places
2020
#106,101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 179
+6 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 2,446 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #103,706 | 160 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #103,655 | 173 | 0.06 | +13 bearers (+8.1%) | Up 51 places |
| 2020 | #106,101 | 179 | 0.06 | +6 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 2,446 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Karolak surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #103,655 | #106,101 | -2.4% |
| Count | 173 | 179 | 3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Karolak bearers went from 173 to 179 (+3.5% change). The surname moved down 2,446 positions in the national ranking, going from #103,655 to #106,101.
FAQ
Karolak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Karolak?
Name Census estimates that about 205 living Americans carry the surname Karolak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,671,972 residents.
How common is Karolak?
Karolak ranks #106,101 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 179 people with the surname Karolak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (205), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Karolak.
Has Karolak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Karolak went from 173 recorded bearers to 179. That is an increase of 6 (+3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #103,655 to #106,101.
What does the Census say about the background of Karolak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Karolak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.9%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Karolak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (165 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Karolak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.9%), Two or More Races (1.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Karolak (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Karolak mean?
A Polish surname derived from the male given name "Karol", meaning "free man". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Karolak (0.06 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Karolak?
Find out how many people are called Karolak on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.